


Opening Gambits

by Merfilly



Series: Rise Up, Rebels [19]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-27
Updated: 2016-04-27
Packaged: 2018-06-04 18:21:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6669382
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Merfilly/pseuds/Merfilly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Obi-Wan returns from arranging alliances to help finish this. Now he's just got to tell the others.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Opening Gambits

Obi-Wan looked from Anakin to Ahsoka, pleased they had made peace in the ten-days that he'd been gone. In fact, it looked as if they had managed to find a plateau that was true companionship. Padmé certainly seemed more at ease with whatever the pair had decided between themselves. He just hoped he wasn't going to kill it all, having returned from a solitary mission to contact allies. He really, really wasn't looking forward to announcing who they were, anymore than he'd enjoyed convincing one of the 'allies' to join them. 

At least finding where one of them had been building his safety at had given him time to heal before he came back to them. He wasn't really fond of Padmé fussing over him, and wasn't certain how Anakin would handle it.

"You're stalling," Anakin finely said, watching Obi-Wan stir his tea.

"I am contemplating," Obi-Wan corrected, and was put more at ease to see a hint of Ahsoka's smile for the old habit of picking out the semantics of a situation. "I have found two others willing to help us face the Emperor. It still leaves us with the logistics, but because of one of these allies, I think the Emperor will come to us on a battleground of our choice."

Ahsoka's smile faded into skepticism. "Who?"

Obi-Wan shook his head. "Before I say that, I need both of you to promise me not to kill either one."

"Obi-Wan?" Anakin said, his voice edging dark and menacing.

"You went and found Asajj!" Ahsoka accused, and Obi-Wan was shocked to learn she was angry on Asajj Ventress's behalf. What in the galaxy had happened there to change enmity to protectiveness? As far as he knew, everyone presumed Asajj was dead. And Ahsoka, of all people, had plenty of reason to hate her.

"No, Ahsoka, I did not," Obi-Wan refuted. "I went one far worse on a personal level, and if I can cooperate with him, you can."

Anakin's voice shot out. "Maul."

There was complete silence. Padmé knew for a fact that the former Sith apprentice had made it his mission to destroy all of Obi-Wan's happiness, and to kill him.

"Yes. We… exchanged blows, as I was actually seeking Ventress," Obi-Wan admitted. "Something about marital ties had him in the wrong place at the right time.

"He wants vengeance against Palpatine for his first defeat at my hands, for his mother, for his brothers apparently," the eldest Jedi told them. "I don't trust him, but I trust his hatred. He will, most likely, turn on us the instant the fight is done, if any of us survive it, but we need what he can bring to this fight."

"You said 'two'," Padmé said.

"And if not Ventress, who else would I be likely to try to kill?" Anakin asked him.

Obi-Wan sipped his tea, then sighed. "Master Yoda. He will join us for this fight, even though Palpatine defeated him the same night I — " He cut himself off, and Anakin's presence just darkened. "Sorry, my friend."

"We can't always dance around it." Anakin considered long and hard. "The oldest living Jedi would definitely be a draw to the Emperor. He knows none of the Inquisitors or his Hands can defeat Yoda. So where?"

"He, and Maul, will be meeting us on a planet called Malachor. It holds Sith secrets, so the Force may well favor him… and Maul. But I trust in the four of us being able to overcome them both, so long as Yoda is there to draw Palpatine's full focus."

"And how will we contend with whatever Fleet and military support Palpatine brings?" Padmé asked, considering how their own forces were currently deployed.

"A certain Captain friend of ours has been liberating and saving as many clone soldiers as he can in the years we've been fighting the Empire," Obi-Wan told them all. "He has his forces salted away on Dantooine."

"Rex?!" Ahsoka breathed out, and Anakin felt his chest grow tight.

"Yes," was Obi-Wan's answer to that. "We'll need to put the twins safely with Beru again," he reminded.

"No, not Beru," Padmé said firmly. "It was pulling at her too much to have their care, but only at our whim. She wishes children of her own. For this, I will take them to Breha. She has had time to decide that adoption is the route she wishes. The twins have gotten good at shielding, and I can slip onto Alderaan with them easily."

"As you wish," Obi-Wan said, while watching Anakin, feeling him struggle to accept that Padmé would be at this fight, that the children might well wind up raised by people that were not family.

Yet the younger man stayed silent, and they could tackle the logistics then.

**Author's Note:**

> 1\. Ignoring anything out there saying Ventress is dead. Maul having been in Rebels, and this being what would be 15BBY means he's canonically still alive.
> 
> 2\. I'm not 100% happy with this which is why it took so long to update the series. Sorry.


End file.
